Beyond Hamburger Helper (Vegan, Gluten Free)

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I was SO excited to see Beyond Meat’s ground Beyond Beef at our local HEB. We had to drive a couple of hours to a Whole Foods to try it for the first time. It was delish, so, we were afraid that would be the case every time we wanted some. Thanks HEB!

I thought I would share the first thing I made with it. For some strange reason, I really wanted cheesy Hamburger Helper, so when you are vegan and you don’t eat gluten, you just have to try and make it happen. It turned out so good, I could literally eat it for every meal. Yum!

Beyond Hamburger Helper

Here’s what you need:

  • 1 onion – chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic – minced
  • 1 Package ground Beyond Meat Beyond Beef
  • 1 16oz Package Gluten Free Pasta (I use Tinkyada Brown Rice Spirals)
  • 1 ½ cups Almond Milk
  • ½ cup plain Almond Milk Yogurt (I used Kite Hill… any kind of plain non-dairy yogurt would work.)
  • 3 T Nutritional Yeast
  • 2 T White Rice Flour
  • 1 ½ tsp Smoked Paprika
  • 1 ½ tsp Garlic Powder
  • 1 ½ tsp Onion Powder
  • 1 ½ tsp Salt
  • Dash of Chipotle Powder
  • A few cranks of Pepper
  • **optional – 1 cup shredded Daiya Cheddar Cheese (or any other Vegan Cheddar)

Here’s what you do:

  • In a mixing bowl, whisk together everything starting at the Almond milk, down to the pepper and set aside.
  • Add water to a pot large enough for the pasta, and get it going to bring it to a boil.
  • In a large Dutch Oven or sauté pan, sauté onion and garlic together (in about a Tablespoon of olive oil, water or veggie broth) until the onions are translucent.
  • Add in Beyond Meat to the onions and garlic, breaking it into pieces.
  • Cook about 6-8 minutes. **Your water for the pasta should be about boiling at this point. Add the pasta to the water and boil about 2 minutes less than the instructions say.
  • Add the liquid mixture & the Vegan cheese (if using) to the meat & onion mixture. Turn it down to low, cover and simmer while the pasta is cooking… stirring frequently.
  • Once the pasta is done, drain, but don’t rinse.
  • Add it to the meat mixture and cook about 1 minute, making sure to mix it altogether really well.
  • Serve it with a nice salad, a slice of fresh bread (I’ll share my recipe for perfect gluten free bread soon!) and enjoy!

Goal Digger Bootcamp

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Our first 2019 Bootcamp session is coming to an end on June 26th! Time flies, right? Not to worry, as we’ll get back to it on July 8th. This session will only be Monday and Wednesday evenings, as I know everyone stays quite busy during the summer.

The second session of 2019 is going to focus on Cardio and body weight exercises. We will be doing quite a bit of running. I know, I know… you hate running. But, if you want to lose weight, and condition your heart and lungs to be healthy as you get older, then running really is a great choice. Yes, it will be hot. Yes, we will sweat… a LOT. But, please don’t let that be your excuse to not work out. We’ll keep it safe and take plenty of water breaks.

Registration closes on July 1st, and there are only 10 spots available, so get yours in now! Visit the BootCamp Schedule/Registration Page for dates, registration agreement and payment information.

We’re a fun, motivational and supportive group and we would love to have you join us. Fitness levels are always varied, so whether you’re a beginner, or you’ve been exercising for awhile, you’ll fit right in! Please feel free to message me if you have any questions!

Yours in Health,

New Look!

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Hey Everyone!

I hope you are all having a great week so far!

I’m terrible about updating social media. I wish I wasn’t, but, the only time I really like being at the computer is when I’m editing photos. So, having two websites, two Facebook Pages, two Instagrams… I just decided that I would consolidate and have everything in one place! It may be a little unconventional, but, I’ve always been a little unconventional anyway!

For those of you who don’t know, besides being a Fitness Instructor, I’m also a photographer. I offer photography services for things like family portraits, weddings, graduations, etc. But, I also do it as a hobby because I love wildlife and nature. I’ve always had a creative heart, but wasn’t blessed with the talents of painting or drawing. I found that photography is a great outlet for creativity!

Migrating things may take a little while, and I’m working on domain transfers, etc., so please bear with me! One Facebook, one website, one Instagram… YAY!

I really would like to share more… recipes, photos, blog posts and this way, I think I’ll be able to manage it all better!

Stay Tuned for more content!

Peace and Love,

Sign

2019 BootCamp!

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2019Bootcamp

Hey Guys!

It’s about that time of year again! Time to reflect on the year gone by and set new goals for the New Year. With that being said, 2019 BootCamp registration is now open! This will be our 6th year… time sure flies when you’re having fun! Registration will close on Monday, January 7th!

Here’s what to expect:

  • An encouraging, motivational environment.
  • Mondays will be: Cardio and Weights.
  • Tuesdays will be: Cardio and Yoga.
  • Wednesdays will be: Cardio and Bodyweight Exercises.
  • Groups rather and Teams this year. Typically we set up Teams and have competitions, but this year, you will be placed in Groups. This just means that your Group might be doing Cardio while the other Group is doing Weights. I’m sure we’ll throw in a friendly little game here and there though! 😀
  • Everyone is a different fitness level! Some do pushups on their knees, some do modified jumping jacks, some can out-sprint me every single time, some can only run a block at a time… this BootCamp is all about becoming a better You… and pushing yourself to do what YOU can do.

Here’s what I expect:

  • I want everyone to give 100% of what they can do. BootCamp is about becoming healthier and not about just “hanging out”. When you leave, I want you to be able to say that you’re proud of yourself for how hard you pushed. If I see you messing around, I might call you out! 😀
  • For you to show up. I understand that things happen and schedules get busy. I don’t expect perfect attendance from everyone, but I do want you to make a conscious effort to try and come as much as you can. I want to see you meet your goals. I want to see you proud of yourself. In the New Year, pledge to take this time to make yourself healthier. You can’t take care of anyone else if you’re sick in the bed. It’s worth it to take care of yourself!
  • No drama… I don’t allow drama within our group. Anyone promoting drama will be kicked out. We are like a little fitness family and I want the environment to stay positive, motivating and encouraging. I won’t settle for anything less.
  • For you to understand and honor the rules.

Some things to keep in mind: 

  • We will be starting promptly at 6pm. If you wish to visit beforehand, you may arrive by 5:45pm. I understand that running late just happens sometimes, and that’s ok. Just know that you’ll have to jump in wherever we are in the workout. I pre-plan all of the workouts, therefore; they are based on a full hour to include warm-ups and cool downs, water breaks, etc.
  • BootCamp is not a place for small children. There are plenty of things laying around that they can get hurt on… if we’re running, they’ll be alone in the driveway… I’ve had our house drawn on with crayons and markers… if you need an exception to this rule, please contact me before BootCamp to discuss.
  • If someone isn’t registered for BootCamp, they cannot work out with us. 
  • Your diet plays a huge role in your fitness goals. If you come to BootCamp, but don’t change bad eating habits, you’re not going to see the results you were hoping for. You can’t out-exercise a bad diet.
  • There are 12 spots…no more. I like to keep the group small enough that I can pay attention to everyone, and also be able to move us into the garage in case of rain so that we don’t have to miss any sessions.
  • You won’t be forced to have weigh-ins and/or measurements if you don’t want to. Everyone’s goals are different. If those kind of things are uncomfortable to you and will make you dread coming to BootCamp knowing we’ll be doing those, then you’re free to opt-out. There are a lot of ways to measure progress, so we’ll just choose individually what will work best for you.

The whole goal behind BootCamp is to be a supportive outlet to help you reach your fitness goals. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask! If you want to register, then jump on over here and you’ll be set!

See y’all in 2019!!!

Yours in Health,

Sign

Vegan Apple Crisp (Gluten and Oil Free)

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We celebrated our 1-Year Veganniversary on Sunday, yay! We definitely have no plans of going back to our prior lifestyle, that’s for sure.

To celebrate, we made some of our favorite things. One of them being Apple Crisp. I noticed that I never posted a recipe for it, so here it is! It was gone before I could do a proper photoshoot, so all you get is the quick snap with the trusty ol’ iPhone, lol!

Vegan Apple Crisp

apple crisp

Here’s what you need:

Filling:

  • 4-6 Medium Apples (or 4-6 cups of any fruit)
  • 2 tsp lemon juice
  • Zest of 1 lemon
  • 1 T maple syrup
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 T tapioca, arrowroot or cornstarch
  • Cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg to taste

Topping:

  • ¼ C tapioca
  • ¼ C almond flour
  • ¼ C flaxmeal
  • ½ C gluten free oats
  • ½ C pecans or other nuts
  • 8 dates – pitted (or substitute 1/4 cup maple syrup if you don’t have dates on hand)
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 T maple syrup
  • Cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg to taste
  • 2-6 T almond milk

** You can make coconut whipped cream by chilling a can of full fat coconut milk overnight. Carefully scoop out just the cream and beat it with an electric mixer until it’s light and fluffy, then add 1 T of maple syrup and beat again for about 1 minute. 😀

 

Here’s what you do:

  • Preheat oven to 350.
  • Add all filling ingredients to a bowl and mix well.
  • Pour filling mix into 8×8 baking dish.
  • Place all topping ingredients (except for almond milk) into food processor and process until fine.
  • Starting with 2 T of almond milk, add to topping ingredients and stir. You want the dough to be similar to wet sand.
  • Once the dough is the right consistency, spread on top of filling ingredients.
  • Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
  • Remove the foil, reduce the heat to 325, then bake for another 20 minutes.
  • Remove from oven and let sit at least 20 minutes before serving.
  • Enjoy!

Weekend Workouts

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Can you believe that we’re already halfway through May? That means we only have 12 Bootcamps left in this session! Time sure flies when you’re burning calories…

Since we are winding down this session, we’ll be revisiting a lot of the workouts we’ve done over the last few months to test for improvement. For the remainder of this session, your Weekend Workout will be your choice. I’ve posted quite a few previous workouts here for you to choose from, or, lace up those sneakers and go for a run!

Next session, we’ll be focusing on running… it’ll be fun! 😀

 

Roasted Veggies & Quinoa (Vegan, Gluten-Free)

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Since I have classes most evenings during the week, I have to plan meals that I can prep beforehand so that we can have a hot, healthy dinner as soon as class is over. This one is very easy to get ready, then pop in the oven. I generally roast my veggies on a lower heat, like 300…I turn them on before I head out to Bootcamp, then when I’m done an hour later, they’re ready. YUM!

I always make enough for my Hubs and I to have dinner, plus lunch the next day. Feel free to adjust the amounts based on your needs!

Roasted Veggies and Quinoa

Here’s what you need:

  • 4 Cups Quinoa, cooked

Veggies (Get creative and try new things! This is just what I used.)

  • 2 Cups Frozen Broccoli Florets
  • 1 Green Bell Pepper, chopped
  • 3 Small Potatoes, diced (any kind will do)
  • 2 Carrots, cut into wedges
  • 4 Slices of Red Cabbage
  • 2 zucchini, diced
  • 1 Cup Mushrooms, sliced
  • Seasonings I used: salt, pepper, garlic, italian seasoning, nutritional yeast, fennel seeds

Garlic Dressing

  • 1/3 Cup Tahini
  • 1/2 Cup Unsweetened Almond Milk
  • 2 T Coconut Aminos
  • 1 tsp Garlic Powder
  • 1 tsp Minced Garlic
  • 1/4 tsp Sea Salt

Here’s what you do:

  • Add all Garlic Dressing ingredients to a small bowl and whisk together. If it’s too thick, add more almond milk until it’s the consistency you like. Then, place in the refrigerator.
  • Prepare quinoa according to package instructions. (If you don’t need to prep this meal, then you can wait until the veggies go in the oven to get the quinoa going.)
  • In a small saucepan, saute the mushrooms until they are soft, about 5-7 minutes. Set aside. (If not prepping, you can make these closer to when the veggies should be done.)
  • Preheat oven: 300 for slower roasting, 375 for quicker roasting.
  • Line 2 baking sheets with Parchment Paper.
  • Add broccoli to one baking sheet, then the rest (minus the mushrooms) to the other.
  • Sprinkle with seasonings of choice.
  • Bake an hour at 300, or 30-40 minutes at 375, or until the veggies are tender and golden brown.
  • Line a plate or bowl with quinoa, top with your roasted veggies & mushrooms, then drizzle with the garlic dressing.
  • Enjoy!